Brown Butter Banana Blondies
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Today we are making BROWN BUTTER BANANA BLONDIES! Is it me, or is that the most delicious four words ever written in the English language? And if that wasn’t enough, did I mention we’re topping them with a cream cheese icing made with — you guessed it — more brown butter?!
My love affair with brown butter is well-documented in the short time this blog has been in existence. But what you may not know is that brown butter and banana is maybe the best combination of all time. I first made this discovery with my banana cake recipe, and since then I’ve been obsessed!
Blondies <3
Maybe you aren’t a big fan of blondies. Or maybe you prefer chocolate (I don’t blame you, actually). Maybe my raspberry white chocolate blondies didn’t successfully convert you. Well, if you aren’t a #blondiebeliever yet, these chewy, buttery banana blondies will definitely do the trick!
Blondies are a lot like brownies, but with a base flavor of vanilla, rather than chocolate. They can be made with white chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, and even chocolate chips, and they can be adapted in lots of different ways! That’s what’s so amazing about blondies — they can bring the flavors of all of your favorite desserts to the classic rich, chewy texture you love about brownies.
Which brings me to these banana blondies. As we are all deep into the banana bread rabbit hole these days, I had a pile of overripe bananas in my kitchen, begging to be used. And so these banana blondies were born!
How to make banana blondies
These blondies are pretty easy to throw together! You don’t need a stand mixer, or even a handheld mixer! I made these blondies with just a whisk and a few steps!
The most complicated part of this recipe is browning the butter, which is actually totally doable! Check here for step-by-step details on how to brown butter! It’s so easy and makes all the difference, especially in baking!
Once you have your brown butter, the rest is super straightforward. All you do is:
- Melt your white chocolate into your brown butter
- Mix your egg, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together.
- Add in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture, then your mashed banana.
- Finally, fold in your flour, and you’re ready to bake!
Then comes my favorite part — the frosting! For this recipe, we’re using the same brown butter cream cheese frosting from my stout gingerbread cookies. You can whip that up easily once the blondies are cooled.
Don’t forget to set out your cream cheese to soften while the blondies are in the oven, and it’ll be ready to go into your frosting by the time the blondies are done cooling!
I hope you love this brown butter banana blondies recipe! Are you a #blondiebeliever yet??? Let me know in the comments below how it turned out for you, and tag me on Instagram with #cheneetoday. I can’t wait to see your results!
Servings: 16 bars
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- baking spray – (the kind with flour)
- ¾ cup brown butter – divided
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar – packed (198g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup mashed overripe banana – about 1 medium banana
- 1 cup all-purpose flour – 128g
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup brown butter – (from above)
- 4 oz cream cheese – softened to room temperature
- 8 oz powdered sugar – 112g
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon – optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang to remove blondies easily from pan.
- Brown 3/4 butter (see note), and pour ¼ cup of browned butter into a separate container and place into refrigerator to cool.
- Add white chocolate to remaining ½ cup of warm browned butter and stir until melted and smooth. If necessary, heat in microwave for 15-30 seconds to melt. Let cool.
- Whisk together egg, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl until smooth, stirring well after each addition.
- Whisk in the cooled butter and white chocolate mixture, and then stir in the mashed banana.
- Fold in flour until combined. Spread the batter into 9×9 baking pan and smooth the top.
- Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center of the pan comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Allow reserved cooled ¼ cup brown butter to come to room temperature.
- Using a hand mixer, whip brown butter with softened cream cheese until creamy. Mix in cinnamon and vanilla.
- Gradually beat in powdered sugar until fully incorporated and frosting is smooth and creamy. If desired, beat another 2-3 minutes for a fluffier texture.
- Spread over cooled blondies, slice and serve!
Notes
Brown Butter: Check out my Brown Butter Appreciation Post for step-by-step details and images on how to brown butter!
Storing: The blondies can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
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Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
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These look awesome! I have been meaning to make blondes. I will try these.
Thanks! Let me know how they work out for you 🙂